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Revision as of 06:28, 30 March 2007 by Epeefleche (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Aaron Krickstein (born August 2, 1967, in Ann Arbor, Michigan) is an American former professional tennis player on the ATP Tour who competed from 1983 to 1996. He currently competes on the Outback Champions Series Over-30 tour.
Krickstein reached his career high ATP ranking of World # 6, on February 26, 1990.
Career highlights
He spent five years in the world's Top 10 over the course of his 13 years on Tour.
Krickstein began playing tennis when he was six years old.
He won the American National Under 16 championship in 1982.
While still only 16, he was the US National Junior Tennis Association Champion, Clay Champion, and USTA National Champion in the 18s in 1983.
Krickstein set and still holds ATP records for being the youngest player ever to win a singles title on the ATP Tour (at age 16, 2 months after his 16th birthday, in Tel Aviv), and for being the youngest player to ever break the top 10 (at age 17).
His best finishes in a Grand Slam event were at the 1989 US Open, and the Australian open in 1995, where he reached the semifinals.
He had an amazing 10 career wins from 0-2 set deficits. Krickstein was nicknamed "Marathon Man" because of his ability to come from behind.
Krickstein won nine singles titles.
He had an injury-plagued career, which included stress fractures in both feet, knee and wrist problems in 1985 and 1986, and injuries suffered when he was side-swiped by a New York City taxi in 1987.
During the course of his career, Krickstein had wins over Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Mats Wilander, Boris Becker, Ivan Lendl, and Stefan Edberg.
Singles (9)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | October 10, 1983 | Tel Aviv | Hard | Cristoph Ziph (Germany) | 7-6, 6-3 |
| 2. | July 16, 1984 | Boston | Clay | Jose-Luis Clerc (Argentina) | 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 |
| 3. | September 10, 1984 | Tel Aviv | Hard | Shahar Perkis (Israel) | 6-4, 6-1 |
| 4. | September 17, 1984 | Geneva | Clay | Henrik Sundström (Sweden) | 6-7, 6-1, 6-4 |
| 5. | January 9, 1989 | Sydney | Hard | Andrei Cherkasov (Russia) | 6-4, 6-2 |
| 6. | September 18, 1989 | Los Angeles | Hard | Michael Chang (USA) | 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 |
| 7. | October 17, 1989 | Tokyo | Carpet | Carl-Uwe Steeb (Germany) | 6-2, 6-2 |
| 8. | March 30, 1992 | Johannesburg | Hard | Alexander Volkov (Russia) | 6-4, 6-4 |
| 9. | March 29, 1993 | San Francisco | Carpet | Grant Stafford (South Africa) | 6-3, 7-6(7) |
Famous Matches
Krickstein was known for his mental toughness and tenaciousness. Possibly due to those characteristics, many of his most famous matches went the distance.
In his first appearance at the U.S. Open, he outlasted both Stefan Edberg and Vitas Gerulaitis in five-set matches.
He won 28 times in five-set matches, losing only 8 times (11 times he won from two sets down).
Aaron's most notable comeback was against Stefan Edberg in the 1995 Australian Open, when he was down two sets and won the match to eventually reach the semifinals.
But his most famous match was a defeat at the hands of Jimmy Connors. Krickstein was 0-7 lifetime against Connors, and until that match in the round of 16 at the 1991 US Open, had never even managed to take a set from Connors. In a see-saw battle, Krickstein succumbed, 6-3, 6-7(10), 6-1, 3-6, 6-7(4), despite leading 5-2 in the final set.
Davis Cup
He was a member of the U.S. Davis Cup team from 1985-1987, and also was a member of the 1990 squad. He compiled a 6-4 record in singles play during Davis Cup ties. The highlight of Krickstein's Davis Cup career came in 1990 when he scored two hard-fought victories in a World Group Quarterfinal tie against Czechoslovakia leading his team to a 4-1 win.
Miscellaneous
- Krickstein's niece is golfer Morgan Pressel. In May 2001, she became the youngest female to qualify for the U.S. Women's Open golf tournament at the age of 12.
- Krickstein, who is Jewish, is the grandson of a rabbi.